Rooster question

[treefrog95]

I have a small mixed flock of full size and bantum birds. I currently have 7 birds 6 hens (2 silkies, 2 orpingtons, 1 easter egger and 1 cochin) and 1 rooster. My rooster (Fred) is a naked neck/silkie mix he is not large. He is kind to people and takes good care of the hens. I am adding about 8 hens to my flock this spring and am considering getting another roo. Fred is 3 years old and I would like to start hatching my own chicks. Im not sure if Fred is still fertile. I aquired him and the 2 silkies about 3 months ago. They were being bullied because and needed to be rehomed. If I get a roo I would get a bantum to prevent a full size roo from injuring my bantum's birds. I have 2 coops in 1 run. I am wondering if typically an old roo would be welcoming to a young rooster. Also at approx. what age would Fred no longer be fertile?

 

[fluffycrow]

I want to preface this by saying that all animals are different, and nothing is set in stone. Generally, no rooster would be welcoming of another one in his territory and around his girls, and dominance has to be established. That being said, a younger rooster, depending on how young you actually mean, is either going to experience a more smooth transition into the flock, if he doesn't crow or show signs of wanting to mate. If the young rooster is in his prime, then there are chances he might even beat your original rooster. Now, if the young rooster has just started crowing and mating, he'll probably experience some bullying from the other rooster, and even the hens. Since you have two coops, I say divide the flock into two, depending on your breeding goals. What breed of bantam are you considering?

 

[nuthatched]

You can crack open an egg and look for the bullseye on the yolk to check fertility. Usually after 5 is when fertility goes down drastically.

 

[treefrog95]

I want to preface this by saying that all animals are different, and nothing is set in stone. Generally, no rooster would be welcoming of another one in his territory and around his girls, and dominance has to be established. That being said, a younger rooster, depending on how young you actually mean, is either going to experience a more smooth transition into the flock, if he doesn't crow or show signs of wanting to mate. If the young rooster is in his prime, then there are chances he might even beat your original rooster. Now, if the young rooster has just started crowing and mating, he'll probably experience some bullying from the other rooster, and even the hens. Since you have two coops, I say divide the flock into two, depending on your breeding goals. What breed of bantam are you considering?

I am open to ideas but was thinking about either a silkie roo or a

 

[fluffycrow]

I am open to ideas but was thinking about either a silkie roo or a

Well, it depends. What are your breeding goals? Do you want to breed bantams, do you want to breed silkies, or something completely different?

 

[treefrog95]

I am open to ideas I was thinking about a silkie or a bantam plymouth rock. I read that they are both not too dominant with other roos. I initially looked at a bantum easter egger but read that they can be very dominant and don't tolerate other roos well. I also consider letting a broody hen hatch a few eggs and keeping a roo from that. But I figured genetic diversity my be best? I got the 2nd coop when I got the roo and 2 silkies thinking they would fair better in their own coop but my full size birds migrated to their coop so now one coop is not being used so I did plan on putting the new roo in their. But the coops do share a large run and the free range most days. I'm don't have any particular breeding preference. I just want the ability to make my own chicks instead of purchasing them.

 

[fluffycrow]

I see. In my opinion, since you have absolutely no criteria, you could try most bantam breeds, but a silkie would be a good option, or a bantam cochin would be nice. Do you want birds that lay a lots of eggs?

 

[treefrog95]

I would prefer they lay at least 3 a week. I do keep them for eggs. I enjoy having chickens in general. I would keep them even if they di

You can crack open an egg and look for the bullseye on the yolk to check fertility. Usually after 5 is when fertility goes down drastically.

Thanks, I did try that and saw it on 3 of the 5 I cracked today.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I am wondering if typically an old roo would be welcoming to a young rooster.

Typically no. You are dealing with living animals so anything can happen so I can't give guarantees of any outcome but what usually happens is that they have to decide who is dominant. That is usually by fighting. Sometimes that can be a fight to the death, sometimes one decides it is best to run away rather than to keep fighting. It is possible they can reach an accommodation instead of fighting to the death. If they have enough space many do. But if space is limited where they can't run away it is more dangerous. Often each rooster has his own territory out of line of sight of the other and they attract whatever hens they can for their harem.

It is possible but highly unlikely if they are both mature that there will be no fighting, that one is so intimidating the other doesn't even try. If one is still an immature cockerel it is more possible that there will be no initial fighting but when that cockerel matures enough there probably will be. You never know what will happen but I would not expect him to welcome a rival but they may learn to coexist. Or maybe not.

Your odds of the two coexisting peacefully increase if raised together, either as siblings or as father/son even if the second one is not the actual son. But certainly no guarantees.

 

[Yardmom]

The two males will establish who is dominant. A good dominant roo will allow the loser to walk away. The loser will learn his boundaries. Some dominant roos don't allow others to walk away. When this happens two roos will not be able to live together. The younger the second male is when added, the less fighting for dominance. Some cockerals simply accept that the grown roo is in charge and never question it. Others will try to prove themselves once and then accept defeat. A few will continue to find opportunities to prove themselves (fight) until they are the winning dominant roo.